Telltale's latest game is a poker game...WHA?

From the "I bet you didn't see that one coming" file comes word that Telltale Games next project is a poker game called Poker Night at the Inventory. That's right the company that's built it's business on point and click adventure games is coming out with a poker game.

What's unique about the game is that it features a unique cast of characters. From their own (licensed) games Telltale is bringing Sam from the Sam and Max games and Strongbad from the Homestar Runner games. Joining these two will be the Heavy from Team Fortress 2 and Tycho from Penny Arcade. Like I said folks, you can't make this up.

The game is set to be released later this year on the Mac and PC for $4.99 and will be distributed via Steam (the game will be using some of the Steamworks infrastructure, presumably for achievements and online multiplayer). I'm guessing we'll see more of the game this weekend as it might be on display at the show this weekend.

Telltale Announces the Citizen Kane of Poker Games

“Poker Night at The Inventory" Brings Together the Stars of Gaming Culture

in Telltale's Second Pilot Program Release.

Penny Arcade, TF2, Homestar Runner and Telltale Games Join

Forces Today at PAX Prime

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – September 2, 2010 – Penny Arcade’s clever, cunning Tycho; Team Fortress 2’s hulking Heavy; Homestar Runner’s self-proclaimed awesome icon, Strong Bad ;and the hyperkinetic “rabbity-thing” from Sam & Max come together in ways some never thought would be possible in Poker Night at The Inventory. They’ve left a trail of victims in their wake a mile long – with heavy weapons, biting sarcasm and irony -- and Poker Night at The Inventory brings these players to a new battleground: the poker felt. In honor of Tycho’s place at the table, Telltale has staged this announcement for the Penny Arcade Expo, which begins tomorrow at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA.

Telltale launched the Pilot Program this Spring to deliver creative and innovative ideas to market, with inspiration from the entertainment industry’s television pilots. This initiative provides a system for bringing ideas like this Poker Night to life, providing a platform for companies and characters to come together in unique ways for the first time.

“We’ve had the idea for some time of exploring the idea of what video characters do when they’re not ‘on the clock’ in the games we play,” said Telltale CEO, Dan Connors. “We pitched the idea to friends in the industry and it really resonated. We all had a great time imagining what these guys would banter about while slinging cards – from there Poker Night at The Inventory was born.”

Poker Night at The Inventory features fully voiced characters utilizing Telltale’s dynamic dialog system. All the characters will talk trash, give unique tells, and react to the game dynamically as it is being played, providing a unique experience with each round played.

Releasing this Fall, Poker Night at The Inventory integrates the Steamworks suite of services, a first for a Telltale game, and will be available for PC and Mac for $4.99. Telltale promises there are more than a few surprises that are soon to be revealed. The game is available now for pre-order at Steam and www.telltalegames.com, and PAX West attendees who pre-order the game at Telltale Games booth will receive an exclusive limited edition Poker Night at The Inventory poster.

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About Telltale, Inc.

Telltale is a leading independent digital publisher of cinematic adventures playable on every major gaming platform. Telltale is also the pioneer of episodic delivery of content developing games as series and successfully releasing on a schedule to create a longer consumer engagement for each release. Founded in 2004 by LucasArts veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader, establishing the model for successful episodic game creation and digital publishing. Telltale has sold more than 3.5 million episodes since 2005. Telltale’s reputation for quality has been established across more than 25 published releases that have cumulatively earned an average Metacritic score above 80%. Telltale's titles have won numerous awards including, "Adventure Game of the Year" accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and have been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from USA Today, to The New York Times to Variety. Telltale currently develops and publishes episodic series on PlayStation(R) 3, PC, Mac, Wii (TM), Xbox 360 (TM) and iPad.

About Penny Arcade

Equal parts online comic and commentary, Penny Arcade (www.penny-arcade.com) keeps its finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, prompting conversation and controversy alike from community members to industry experts. What started as a hobby in 1998 for Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik has grown into an online phenomenon serving over 70 million page views a month to millions of readers worldwide. In addition to the comic strip and PAX (www.paxsite.com), Penny Arcade has expanded its reach to include a growing line of merchandise, a video game and management of Child's Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a gamer-driven charity for children that spans the globe.

About Homestar Runner

Homestar Runner was conceived in 1996 by Mike Chapman and friend Craig Zobel as an idea for a weird kids' book they would only make a few photocopies of for friends. In 2000, Mike and brother Matt dusted off the idea and launched HomestarRunner.com, featuring the Flash-animated exploits of the characters. Since 2002, they have updated with new cartoons almost every week including the popular feature 'Strong Bad Email' in which fans get their emails answered by the cartoon's charming antagonist, Strong Bad. Mike and Matt write and animate the cartoons with Matt and Missy Palmer providing voices for the characters. The site has been featured and mentioned in the New York Times, Wired Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and, most importantly, two songs from the site were featured in the Guitar Hero series.

About Mann Co.

Mann Co. is a global weapons manufacturer that makes square, unsafe products for men and gets in fights. Founded in Australia and based in America, Mann Co. CEO Saxton Hale prides himself on his hands-on customer relations: “If you have a problem with any Mann Co. product, you can take it up with me!”